I don't own Hetalia okay? I know it's been awhile since I have updated this story, but well, life gets in the way and hopefully now I am in a better head space to be able to write more often. But I am sure you don't want to hear about that, so enough of this A/N, on with the fic!
Alfred had to admit, even if the money was full of blood, it was a great ride. Lovina was still asleep on the bed while he was sitting in a plush chair looking at the scenery rush past them as they headed to the junction in Washington before they were to ride through the south to Miami. Alfred looked up at the sky, and wondered, Maybe some day we could just fly. I've seen some of them in the War, and I read all the stories in the papers. He had hoped that in the war, he could have been part of the air service but he was sent to the trenches. But god, he had wanted to fly in the sky so much. As he stared at the sky, Lovina stirred. "Oh hey," He smiled as he headed over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep well? I mean you need it to make sure junior is healthy."
Lovina smiled but rolled her eyes. "I can't wait until we get to Miami" She said wistfully.
"Why?" Alfred asked sitting beside her, stroking her arm.
Because I will be far far away from Grandpa and he won't put you in any more dangerous situations...he wants you dead... She thought but knew she couldn't tell him that. "Like I said before, the ocean, warm temperatures, that kind of thing..."
"Yeah, that would be pretty sweet." Alfred smiled. "Heard the fishing is awesome that way too." He smirked mischeviously. Lovina smiled as she looked away. Fishing, what got us into this mess in the first place... She thought.
"Sure you can land the little fish in a farm pond, but that is fishing in the ocean. Much bigger fish. Sure you can handle it?" Lovina taunted.
"Watch me." Alfred smirked as he flexed his muscles. Lovina blushed, knowing that she was physically attracted to that about him. His chest and arms were well muscled from all the farm work he had done in his life.
Alba walked from the train station to a general store where he was meeting with another distiller who had gone nearly bankrupt sitting on his bourbon. He finished a ginger ale he had purchased and smiled. He knew these people and many were taken to his accent, as many of their ancestors were from Scotland. It was known how he was employing many of the people who were left jobless due to the distillery shutting down. Maybe we should open up some general stores or pharmacies out here... Artie is making like he is getting this hooch for medicinal purposes. Maybe opening a few pharmacies here would make it seem more legit... He looked around, wanting to make sure there were no men of Julius's that had followed him. He had run into Alfred, who Arthur had told him was being sent to spy on the speakeasies they ran under Julius's order and he had gotten Julius's granddaughter pregnant, thus making him deeper in, but a possible tool to pry some information out of as Felix had noted he seemed rather depressed about it all. It was something that he was going to tell Arthur about when he got back to Chicago.
"Ah, just the man I wanted to see!" A man in a plain white shirt and black slacks said coming up to Alba. I was told to look for your brown hair and weird cowlick. Never seen any like it."
"Yeah..." Alba sighed, running his hand over his head trying to push it down with no luck. He had cut it off before many times but it had always grown back like that. "Just learn to live with it after awhile." He looked around, knowing that while the town knew what was going on and would keep his secrets but there could be people who would turn them into the authorities. "How about we go somewhere a little more private..." Alba said taking the man's shoulder and heading to the back storeroom with him casually. He then shut the door and the clerk was keeping an eye on the customers.
"Why are we back here?" The man said, sitting down at the table in the room, looking at the boxes of inventory. He placed the deed down, to which Alba moved over to grab, which the man put his hand back on and pulled back. "Not uh uh..." Alba looked on. "Money first. You're lucky the clerk of this pharmacy is also a notary whose sister is the county clerk."
"I got some bad feelings from some of the other men in the shop here. I feel like they may be G men..." Alba explained.
"Understandable." The man said. "But you are a pharmaceutical buyer from Chicago." He winked as Alba nodded. These people knew what was going on really with the whiskey and bourbon stores that Alba was buying. Rumors spread fast. "I want to make sure you aren't taking advantage of us here. So many carpetbaggers from up north taking us for all we are worth."
"10 dollars to review the deed." Alba sighed placing the bills on the table and the man gave him the deed that Alba read over carefully. There had been times that he had been offered old barns of nothing, fake deeds, and useless land. "And 5 more if you take me to inspect the goods." He moved his hand closer to a knife he had kept at his belt that he had since the war. While people loved him for bringing work to a poor area, it wasn't risk free.
"Deal." The man said. "Follow me to my truck."
Meanwhile, Julius looked upon the land right by the lake he had obtained for the house for Lovina and Alfred to start their family and make them part of the family and strengthen the rule he had over the south side and maybe even the whole of Chicago. Since having control of Alfred's dairy farm, he was able to use that as a resting place for the trucks and sell the milk from the cows to help add to the resources he had for his businesses. Alfred could fight when needed, as he had looked into his military record from the war and had found who was in his unit and gotten stories from them. It was important that he stay in Chicago and now that he had married Lovina, he was in the family and there was no getting out.
He looked over the lake and then back to the Sears catalogue. Sure he could have hired some an architect from the south side but that would take too much time when he wanted them to have a surprise for when they got back. And it would place pressure on Alfred to stay even more. He could easily take Lovina back to the farm or wherever he wanted, but Julius needed him and this would help tie him down to him.
"Alhambra or Hillrose?" Julius asked.
"Excuse me?" Giovanni replied.
"Which one do you think would be better for Lovina and Alfred and the baby?" Julius said handing Giovanni the catalogue.
"You think they would want to leave the manor?" Giovanni said as he looked at the ads for the houses. "Would Lovina see this as a downgrade?"
"She is the type that would not want to be too close to me while married. That and you know Felicia would be jealous of her. She was the first to be married if that Ludwig boy hadn't have died in the war." Julius explained. "This way they will feel on their own but still feel like they owe me for their luxury and will work for me."
"Alhambra." Giovanni said.
"Good." Julius said. "Alfred and Lovina don't think I know they're expecting." He mused. "But I do. No way would Lovina fall in love that fast. I know her too well."
"So why didn't you deal with Alfred earlier?" Giovanni asked.
"Because he is an honest man. He would not leave Lovina and he will take responsibility. That is how I know he will do whatever I say." Julius said."Get the house ordered and find me some unemployed contractors and pay them well. Maybe some of those new unionized ones who are striking. You know their families are hungry. Bring me the union bosses and I will talk to them about this proposal."
"Indeed." Giovanni nodded and headed to start the request.
Meanwhile, Arthur was sitting in the apartment with Amelia looking over a Sears catalogue thinking of something to get for Alfred and Lovina. It was already surmised that he was at their speakeasies under Julius's orders to get intel on them. It was not something that Arthur was willing to give all the gang's secrets to, but he had wanted to stay on Alfred's good side, because he could tell that Alfred was under a lot of pressure. And when he broke and wanted to tell him everything on Julius, he wanted to be the one that he told it to. So far, he had some information about the gang, but that was from what he had pieced together from the poorly written note and long work with an English to Italian dictionary. They were to go to some man named Mateo and come back from Canada to keep up Julius's liquor stores.
"What are you doing?" Amelia asked as she placed a tray of tea and cookies down on the table.
"Looking for a gift idea for Alfred and his new wife Lovina." Arthur said. "I want to show him some goodwill and show that I feel he is someone I care about."
"Why?" Amelia asked.
"Because he is sent by Julius to spy on us. But I cannot say I am in charge, nor can I say I suspect him of it either." Arthur said. "But based on what I hear from Felix and Gilbert, he hates Julius but only putting up with it all for Lovina's sake. And I want to be one of the few he would trust when he wants to talk about what Julius is doing. I also need to know where this Mateo is."
"Canada." Amelia said as she looked at the translation Arthur had worked on.
"I love you..." Arthur said placing his hand on his face in frustration. "Do you know how big Canada is?"
"No..." Amelia said honestly. "But you can't imagine Julius would have his men going too far into Canada..."
Arthur looked up at Amelia as if she had said something deeply philosophical. "You have a point." He moved his papers around looking for something... "Where did I put that bloody thing...blast..."
"What are you looking for?" Amelia asked.
"A map of Canada..." Arthur said "Here!" he said pulling one out. "You have a very good point. Going too far would make no sense! The time and fuel costs would override any premiums you can get with alcohol being an illicit substance. Our sources are either what Felix can obtain as a rabbi..." Arthur said, still feeling like he was committing hersey with that, even if he wasn't Jewish, "Or what we buy from the failing distilleries in Kentucky. Neither of which is very far, especially with Alba working for the railroads doing work in that area." Looking at the map, he circled the part of the Canadian border in Ontario near the border with Minnesota. "I do not know Julius's aquatic abilities, so I am not certain of anything requiring lake transport..." He mused looking at the area bordering the Great Lakes. "But Toris and Felix live on a boat...have seaman or at least lakeman skills..."
"Are you okay?" Amelia asked, picking up the discarded catalogue and looking at the strewn about notes.
"Never better love." He said pulling her close and kissing her. "I may be able to beat that blasted Italian at his own game."
"I am seeing that Wulver your brothers said you had in the war." Amelia commented.
"This is war love. We are in a dangerous game here and there is no rules in this world. It may not be the Ardennes, but I know how to bring my enemy to his knees." Arthur said as he picked up Amelia and spun her around, heading to the bedroom. "But before I do that, I need you."
"Oh Artie..." Amelia blushed.
So how was that? Good? Bad? Short? Long? Let me know in a review. Yes I know it's been awhile but well this hopefully is the restart of a good writing relationship. The names of house patterns are really from the Sears catalogue in the 1920s. You can look them up and see the plans, it's really beautiful and if I had the money would build one of those plans. I don't know what else to say but remember to read, well you just did, and to review. Ciao for now,
otherrealmwriter
aka
Realm.